Just as an FYI, "troll cheater" is my wife, and we do live in DC. I Think that the point is that there's no reason to be a busy body. Also, a couple of Hearst parents enjoyed coming over to our "DC" home for play dates. We may be out of bounds but won the lottery fair and square to go to Hearst.

Anonymous wrote: It's for the school to figure out who's legit or not. As parents/observers, just report what you're seeing if you think it smells funny, and leave the rest to the school. People with legit explanations will be fine... those caught cheating will not be fine. But why bother having a rule and saying it's for DC residents if everyone outside of DC thinks no one will ever check?

Herein lies the problem. The hotline is run by OSSE and then the IG's office. The schools don't have to do anything even if you tell them. The law applies fines to parents, not principals. For a school at risk of low enrollment or the tier 2 schools, there's an obvious incentive to let in a kid with guaranteed funding that comes with a "DC" address than an out-of-state involved parent who feels they aren't getting their money's worth and goes back to the burbs for 1st grade. (There are charters in MD, too.)

It's indeed a conflict of interest to not put liability on principals. Look what happened at Langdon. Talk about using grandmama's address. This principal literally did. http://www.ward5heartbeat.org/daily-posts/message/former-langdon-principal-tagged-for-tuition-fraud/

Parents have enough on our plates. We shouldn't have to be playdate police.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dare any piss-ant parent at my school to report me for out-of-"state" license plates. My DC-registered car was in the shop for two and half months due to an accident and I had to "live" in mulitple rental cars for the duration. Each car that I possessed duing that time had Virginia, New York, and Maryland plates. Don't judge a book by its cover and mind your own business.

Troll cheater alert. If you were really legit you know that a simple copy of your car rental paper work given to the school would have stopped any problems. What a small price to pay so that DC residents aren't cheated out of a spot especially in this contentious year and baby boom year. But, since you're a cheater I see why you're p'oed. Better leave now or risk embarrassment when you're caught.

You know, I don't approve of rental car hysteric's attitude down thread, but honestly, I think his/her complaint is totally legit. Why should I have to proactively submit rental car paperwork to my daughter's school if I will be using that car to pick her up? And how exactly would that help deal with complaints from parents or disgruntled would-be parents, other than that the school can dismiss the complaint faster, which they will do anyway with only a license plate number as evidence?

You don't. You don't have to do anything. Most importantly is, if someone does/did report you, you'd be able to explain it. But for people considering whether to report or not, DO IT. It is ridiculous to not report just because there MIGHT be a legitimate explanation. It's for the school to figure out who's legit or not. As parents/observers, just report what you're seeing if you think it smells funny, and leave the rest to the school. People with legit explanations will be fine... those caught cheating will not be fine. But why bother having a rule and saying it's for DC residents if everyone outside of DC thinks no one will ever check?

Anonymous wrote:They don't participate in the lottery. They are simply placed in last place on the waiting list.....and they wait until if and when it is exhausted by DC residents.

Well then I refer you back to the thread on how wait lists are managed. If I'm a principal and can pick and choose why wouldn't I pick a kid that comes with a $12k bonus?

Ms. PGer, that's who

Anonymous wrote:Who in their right mind would live in Maryland and send their children to school in Washington, DC?

+1
Can we get through a week without this paranoia coming up again?

They don't participate in the lottery. They are simply placed in last place on the waiting list.....and they wait until if and when it is exhausted by DC residents.

How would Ms. PG (who sounds like she's trying to do her best) be classified in the lottery? Simply as "OOB" and put into the mix with all other OOBs? I don't see a differentiation on the lotteries for "non-district".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in PG and will be applying to some of the newer charters in DC. If I get in, I will have to cough up 12,000 to DC - which is about the same as religious schools in my area. Still cheaper than top privates. So, I have applied, and if the charters can't fill their enrollment, I will pay into the system and lose my deposit on private school. I'm willing to do this and it's perfectly legal. If DC schools get better, it will be more difficult to do, but there is a legal way to attend DC schools from MD or VA.

Which charters PP? Curious to know since we all know that any charter worth a damn is totally oversubscribed. Of there's some charter out there so desirable out of towers would pay 12 Gs I need to put it on my list!

I'm applying to Sela, Appletree, and Bridges. When you factor in commuting, aftercare, babysitters, etc., putting my child in a program near where I work vs., where I live makes sense. 12G is cheaper than private school, and if I get small class sizes, it's worth it to me. As a single parent, I want my child nearer to me during the day. Nobody ade me any promises, but apparently it has been done before.

Hate to burst your bubble PGer. Hope you've got a good plan B

Anonymous wrote:I am always entertained on this forum!!!
love,

troll cheater (a.k.a dumb bored hen)

At least you're honest with yourself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dare any piss-ant parent at my school to report me for out-of-"state" license plates. My DC-registered car was in the shop for two and half months due to an accident and I had to "live" in mulitple rental cars for the duration. Each car that I possessed duing that time had Virginia, New York, and Maryland plates. Don't judge a book by its cover and mind your own business.

Troll cheater alert. If you were really legit you know that a simple copy of your car rental paper work given to the school would have stopped any problems. What a small price to pay so that DC residents aren't cheated out of a spot especially in this contentious year and baby boom year. But, since you're a cheater I see why you're p'oed. Better leave now or risk embarrassment when you're caught.

Did we read the same post? This person just gave one of the main reasons why chasing plates alone is a huge waste of resources and funds.

Our DCPS didn't even have a signout process until this year. Maintaining a registry of plates? What's next? Tracking devices in backpacks on metrobus?

Not trying to trivialize the issue, but the hysteria is counterproductive. There are laws and procedures in place to drop a dime. If you have a burning urge to get someone kicked out in the next few weeks, then go ahead and play Magnum PI.

The bigger issue is holding school leaders accountable for fraud. If they were afraid for their jobs over this, we wouldn't need a hotline.

Stop trying to make it sound like there is "hysteria". The process is easy and the problem is real. Sorry, cheater.

I reported a former coworker who son has been in a top charter for years who lives in MoCo, I let it go because she is Chinese and I thought she didn't know better. Then she she said she knew what she was doing was wrong, but didn't care. She still lives in MoCo and her kid is still at the charter. So, I'm not convinced the administrators check even when there is a complaint.

^ I'm not sure this will really solve the problem, and I'm not sure it is a problem that will ever be solved. I know of two affluent families who have rented their homes on the hill and moved out to VA and are currently taking seats in two of the hills top early childhood programs using those rented addresses, and I have a hard time believing the teachers/principal don't realize that. I also know of kids who I am next to certain (but have no proof) are taking spots at coveted schools even though they live OOB because mommy or grandma work at said school and Mr. Principal has allowed it. It's really akin to a principal managing a wait list... They're going to pick and choose if they can, and whether or not they live in DC will doubtfully change that.

These are not the classic "mark grandma's address down" scenarios, but I use them as examples of just how hard it is to track residency when we're talking about our tiny geographic area, which is planted in the middle of two other huge states with parents commuting in every day and umpteen ways to game the system.

Anonymous wrote:Who in their right mind would live in Maryland and send their children to school in Washington, DC?

People who live in PG County (just over the line from N.E and S.E. sections of DC where the schools are heinous and the parents work in DC--also DC has full day pre-school in many neighborhoods and all day pre-k in most--this is free daycare for a MD resident (they have only half day, even for k). Most offenders are likely PG County residents. Administrators are the weak link in this enforcement chain. Principals are in charge of this enforcement--if they are looking the other way--scofflaws will get through. Unfortunately, if they themselves are allowed to live in MD (I don't think they should be allowed to do that, btw) they seem to have a conflict of interest about enforcing others to adhere to the rule. As with elected officials, I would like to see a law imposed that all DCPS principals be DC residents. It keeps everyone's interests unconflicted.

At my child's school one preK exercise was to learn your address and phone number...it's important! So for PS3 and PK perhaps this life skills exercise could be standard. That might help.